Magic Carpet Ride
by MizukiYukiko
Summary: It all started with a brick wall. Well, it started with his brother being punched through a brick wall for grabbing her butt during a conference. And it all ended with him flying over Suna with her on top of his sand, just like her favorite childhood story. Most of the time, he really hated his friends; this time, they were right. SakuraXGaara. 50 shinobi theme #46 Brick Wall.


Story: Magic Carpet Ride

Author: MizukiYukiko

Rated: T

Pairing: GaaraXSakura

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Naruto.

Summary: It all started with a brick wall. Well, rather, it started with his brother being punched through a brick wall for grabbing her butt during a conference. And it all ended with him flying over Suna with her on top of his sand, just like her favorite childhood story. Most of the time, he really hated his friends, but just this once, they were right. 50-shinobi theme #46 Brick Wall.

Notes: 50_shinobi themes #46. Brick wall. I had an itch that needed to be scratched, and it was a Gaara X Sakura fic. This is just a two-shot that's already completed. I still have to do the fine tuning to the second portion and add some stuff, but I will post that sometime next week. Just like Lemon Juice, there may or may not be a sequel in my endeavor to do the 50_shinobi themed challenge, but I had fun writing this. However, you shouldn't expect something from me quickly. I find that when this happens, me getting an idea in my jumbled head, it suddenly becomes physically impossible to write my multi-chaptered stories, so here we are. Just needed to get this out!

So enjoy and please review!

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**Magic Carpet Ride**

**Part I**

* * *

Really, Kankuro should have known better. First of all, she was an ambassador from Konoha and a diplomat – a professional figure from another country; if it was a more hostile country, his foolish brother could have started a war. It was only his brother's familiarity with the rosette that brought him to do such a heinous and disgusting act in the first place. Surely, he wouldn't have done it with any of the other ambassadors that were visiting Suna at the time. But Sakura had saved his life once, had been on a few missions with him during the war, and had made several trips to Suna since. Also, Gaara had heard Kankuro refer to her as 'hot' several times over the past few years. So Kankuro knew her well enough, and his endless flirting with the Godaime's apprentice was something she had tolerated quite well in the past.

However, this time, the action of groping her in the middle of a meeting with Gaara and Temari, along with Shikamaru and Naruto who were sent with her from Konoha, seemed to be the final straw. Gaara saw the last part of the egregious act, his brother's hand leaving the place of Sakura's well-toned behind, just before she grabbed his arm, swung him back, and landed a chakra-laden punch on his jaw that was so hard he crashed through the wall behind Gaara and fell the several stories down to the Suna streets below.

Her face was flushed from rage, exertion, and embarrassment, and her arm was still in front of her from the momentum she put into the punch. Her choppy pink hair fell into her face and flung away in the same instant from the wind that was now whipping through the office. Never before had Gaara seen something to raw, thrilling, and above all else, beautiful.

Naruto was undergoing training through Tsunade to become Hokage, and one factor of being Hokage was being a diplomat. However, Tsunade was not the most accomplished representative with her fowl temper and almost always sent a usually level headed Sakura in her place for such trips. Not that Sakura was much better in terms of temper and feministic independence – she received much more from her teacher than just her abilities as a medic and strength. But, overall, Sakura was a little more amiable and less likely to react negatively to pompous councilmen and elders. That's why Naruto had joined her on this particular trip to Suna to renew a peace treaty and tour the village. Usually Sakura's trips did not culminate in her punching a member of the Suna council, even if it was just Kankuro, through a wall.

No, Sakura was someone much more scary and deadly than that. She was _too_ sweet when it came to dealing with men. Her wiles worked on almost any man who crossed her path – from the young boys she took care of at the hospital to the stuffy pricks that made up the majority of the Suna council. Gaara had seen them all, one by one, fall prey to her charms and methods. It culminated in her almost always getting her way with things – except when it came to him.

He had thought he was the only one who could get her blood boiling to the point where she would resort to violence, so Gaara was admittedly surprised when his brother went flying through the wall behind him. In the Suna council chambers, he would sit back and let Sakura say her peace. But after, if she said or did something he didn't agree with, he let her know. It almost always ended with some form of broken furniture and her screaming at him like he was Naruto or Kakashi, not the Kazekage. There had been many desks, plants, and other meaningless possessions of his destroyed from the girl. It was why he enjoyed having her as the ambassador to Suna so much – she wasn't afraid of him.

Yes, Sakura had made several months-long trips to Suna since the conclusion of the war, and he had found her presence less than annoying; in fact, Gaara could say he honestly enjoyed the time he spent in the kunoichi's company. However, it wasn't until she straightened herself from punching his brother through a wall that he had realized how attracted he was to the woman. At eighteen, Sakura had grown both physically and mentally. Her beauty was exotic, exhilarating, and powerful. The only thing that was perhaps more powerful than her beauty, were her fists.

Adding to his attraction, the people of Suna _loved_ Sakura. They adored her. On her trips here, she spent much of her time in the hospital or walking through the streets greeting and learning the people. It was one of the things that made her such an effective, wonderful ambassador. How could he _not _fall for a woman who seemed to love his people as much as he did? Very slowly, over the course of several years, Gaara realized that Sakura had wriggled her way onto his list of precious people.

It probably started the day she saved his brother's life. Back then she had just been Naruto's teammate and the Godaime's apprentice. However, he had found her skills admirable and thanked her for helping him, his brother, and the people of Suna. But after the war and her continuous visits, he found her much more than just Naruto's teammate. She was now a friend – a volatile friend who enjoyed breaking his things, but a friend nonetheless.

So, on that hot summer's day, after cleaning up his office and repairing the wall, Gaara sat at his kitchen counter while he mulled over the most recent turn of events. He had never felt this way before. Sure, he had felt all of the normal things a teenage male was supposed to feel with women. Hormones, urges, attraction, and whatnot. As Kazekage, it was not difficult for him to lure women to his bed for one night. Usually the women were so overjoyed and nervous to be with the Kazekage that they let him do just about whatever he wanted to them, and they kept their mouths shut about it afterward. But this was different. This was not just a one-night stand for Gaara.

This was Haruno Sakura.

Her body was not the first thing he thought about when it came to her. When someone said her name, her flushed face, bright smile, and twinkling emerald eyes popped into her face while she said something vulgar and nasty under the guise of her softened features. He thought of her unrivaled intelligence and her abilities as a medic. He thought of her combat skills and how genuinely impressed he always was with her when he saw her fight; whether it be during the war or in a sparring match.

After he mentally listed off all of her good attributes, he attempted to list off her bad ones, but it didn't work. As he went through anything that would be termed 'negative,' he quickly realized that they were many of the things he found most endearing in the kunoichi. Her volatile temper was amusing, albeit an expensive trait. Really, how many of his desks could she smash through with her finger? But he wouldn't have her any other way.

His sister's words rang in his head at the moment. He had asked her why she could love someone lazy like Shikamaru, and she had replied, '_Gaara, loving someone means accepting all of their traits – bad and good. And not only accepting the negatives, but loving them for it. Shikamaru might be lazy, hard to converse with, and he smokes too much, but I wouldn't have him any other way.'_

Wouldn't have her any other way…

Gaara's slouched position bolted upright in his seat so fast that the sand in his gourd swirled around in case he needed to be saved from hitting the floor. As the realization dawned on him, perhaps a little belatedly, his heart began to thud loudly in his chest as his body wracked itself with nerves.

He was in love with Haruno Sakura.

…well shit.

X

"He's going to hate me now," she whined as she slid another bitter sip of whisky down her throat. The burning was enough to distract her for a moment before the gravity of her situation dawned back onto her – a vicious circle of denial, reprieve, and then dread repeating over and over again. It was a little foggier and less acute in her drunken stupor, but the constant nagging at the back of her head did not go away. Perhaps she needed stronger alcohol. Temari let out a harried sigh from her place next to the rosette.

"He doesn't hate you, Sakura-chan," she replied before downing the rest of her own drink.

"Did you see how pissed he was?" Sakura replied hastily. "I've never broken a brick wall before. He didn't even yell at me like he usually did. He just stared at me with the weird look on his face. I wonder he was deciding how he was going to kill me…or worse…fire me!"

"Why don't you just tell him you like him?" Shikamaru asked. He took another drink. The genius had drunk more than the two kunoichi sitting next to him, but he didn't sound or seem nearly as drunk as they were. Which meant he was the only one thinking clearly, and he saw the look the Gaara had been giving Sakura; it definitely wasn't the murderous glare that the Kazekage was well known for. Shikamaru had been on the receiving end of the glare himself when he had started dating Temari. No, there was something much more confused and contemplative about the look Gaara had been giving Sakura. And, once again, being a genius, Shikamaru had deduced exactly what that look meant.

It was too bad that Gaara was emotionally stunted and Sakura was too shy to admit anything. That left the troublesome task of forcing his two friends together up to him and Temari once he told her his theory – when she was sober, of course.

Sakura drunkenly scoffed. "He's…he's so dense. He's like a frickin' brick wall. Or a sand wall," she quipped with a giggle that was too much for the lame joke she had just made, "You can't get through to him…"

"Isn't he the reason why you took the position as ambassador in the first place?" Shikamaru finally asked, lighting a cigarette and gliding it to rest between his teeth. Inwardly rolling his eyes at the irony of her statement, he just waited for her response. Sakura's face flushed redder than it should be from just the alcohol, answering his question. "You fell in love with him during the war, right?"

Sakura could only nod through the haze of alcohol and embarrassment. "Sasuke died," she muttered, "During his fight with Madara… and I realized that I didn't care. I mean… I cared 'cause he was my friend, but I didn't care 'cause I was in love with him. 'Cause I wasn't in love with him, at least not anymore, or I never was. And then Gaara was there, in his black battle suit, all caring and asking me if I was alright and protecting me with his sand, all sexy…"

"That's my brother," Temari snapped, holding her hand up to stop Sakura's tangent.

"It's not my fault your brother is sexy…" Sakura mumbled. Temari let out an exasperated sigh, "I'm sorry, have you ever seen him without a shirt on? I wish he was like... Aladdin."

"Aladdin?" Shikamaru questioned.

"A desert pauper who met and fell in love with a princess. He wooed the princess by bringing her on a flying carpet ride and flying her all along Agrabah," Temari explained. "It was my favorite story when I was younger."

"Yeah. It is my favorite story of all time. My mom used to tell it to me when I was little. Aladdin was sexy, just like Gaara. It's too bad Gaara isn't sweet and romantic like Aladdin though. All sweet and sexy and shirtless…"

"Sakura," Shikamaru said in warning, his eyes darting behind her quickly.

"What?" she hissed. "He's all muscle… toned but not too much… just right…"

"Sakura," Temari warned, turning around to see what Shikamaru was eyeing. "Shuttup, Kankuro is over there and he's supposed to be hanging out with Gaara later."

Sakura's head whipped around to see the middle sand sibling flirting with the bartender. She was fussing over the large welt on his jaw, the one that Sakura refused to heal, and was sipping from a drink. Glancing their way, he winked at Sakura, telling her that he had heard everything that she had said. Apparently he wanted payback for sending him through a brick wall earlier because he soon got up to leave the bar to head towards the Kazekage mansion.

…well shit.

X

Naruto was sitting on his couch, chatting loudly while he was still lost in thoughts with this most recent and disturbing revelation. Now what did he do? He certainly couldn't ignore his feelings now that they had sprung up beneath him like this. He supposed that he always held a bit of a torch for Sakura, but he would have never dared approach her because of her fierce loyalty to Naruto. Gaara knew that his best friend and kyuubi container had always loved Sakura, but he was now dating that timid Hyuuga girl from Konoha. Did that mean Gaara was free to date Sakura? No doubt, he would have to speak with Naruto about it first. The blond was very protective over his rosette teammate, and the last thing Gaara needed to do was burn one of the only bonds he held for a relationship that may not work _or_ even be reciprocated.

That was a foolish notion. Gaara wasn't cocky, but he knew he was a relatively sought after bachelor. Almost every kunoichi over the age of sixteen had approached him in one form or another, and while he had never fallen for any of their advances, he knew enough to know that he was good looking and desirable. He was also supremely confident in his abilities, and even though his social skills were lacking, he could eventually form bonds with a myriad of people. If he could convince Suna to love him, then he could easily make one kunoichi love him.

The trick was _how_ he could do it. Sakura was certainly a different breed of kunoichi. The usual tactics that the men Gaara had seen ask her out had failed. Many had attempted flattery, others flirting, but Sakura would always respectfully decline their advances. Did she have feelings for someone else, perhaps? The thought made Gaara grit his teeth. No, now that he had set his sights for her, no one else, at least no one from Suna, could have her. Maybe, even though he had been dead for over a year, she still was in love with that Uchiha brat? When he had known her during their genin days, Sakura would have done anything for her teammate's affection. And then when they were older, hers and Naruto's entire purpose had been to find and return the Uchiha back to Konoha.

Once Sasuke died, however, it took quite a while for them to recuperate emotionally. In fact, Gaara knew they were still healing. Both of his two friends still lacked a certain light to their eyes that was there prior to the death of their former comrade. But they _were_ healing. He would notice how Naruto's smile would come easier and be more earnest, and Sakura's laugh would sound real instead of the fake one she possessed the past year. The woman had never mentioned her dearly departed teammate, and she could now even converse about him in passing without getting emotional. Her tone wasn't loving in any way; it was impassive as if she was simply recounting a recipe she had tried over the weekend.

So she most likely didn't love him anymore, but Gaara would still need information on how to capture Haruno Sakura's heart. And he had the perfect way to get it. Who knew her better than her best friend? Even his own brother possessed a special relationship with the girl, and he could easily get information from his simple-minded kin.

Speaking of whom, that perverted jerk should have been over by now. It was his idea to have a "guys' night" in the first place, and he wasn't even at the Kazekage mansion yet. Of course he had suggested using Gaara's house to hold the male bonding night since it was the largest, but he didn't have the decency to show up to an even that was his concoction. He was supposed to be going to retrieve Shikamaru from the bar where he was at with Sakura and Temari.

Speaking of whom…perhaps the genius strategist would have an idea for Gaara on how to approach Sakura. Shikamaru was quiet, reserved, and wouldn't tell anybody if Gaara asked (commanded) him not to. Shikamaru was also closer to Sakura because of his relationship to Temari, and he would most likely know if Sakura held vestiges of love for the fallen Uchiha. Perhaps Sakura had told Temari something. Even though his sister was hardly a gossip like their friend Yamanaka Ino, she would tell Shikamaru anything that was happening in Sakura's life – especially if it had to do with Gaara. So Shikamaru would surely know something if there was something to know.

"Gaara, what's eating you tonight?" Naruto asked after realizing that the Kazekage wasn't listening to his endless ramblings.

"Just thinking," Gaara replied evenly, finally glancing to the other couch into bright cerulean eyes, "About today."

"Ne, ne, you're not mad at Sakura-chan, are you?" Naruto asked. His voice was a little worried, but his face suddenly turned more serious. "I'm going to beat that brother of yours for ever touching Sakura-chan like that!"

Gaara could only nod at him, acknowledging his statement. "I'm not angry with her," Gaara finally conceded, "Although she is very troublesome."

"Hey, hey, Gaara?" Naruto asked jubilantly, and he continued, as if he was saying the most common phrase in the world, asked, "Do you still have a crush on Sakura-chan?"

Gaara's eyes widened instantly, and he turned to face Naruto who was smiling at him in that all-knowing smile that told Gaara he was far wiser than people gave him credit for. However, most people never got to know the blond before judging him for what lay beneath his stomach, so they never got the privilege to see that Naruto was far more than the troublemaker he pretended to be. His village's perception of him had steadily improved over the past six years, but many were still wary of him even though he now possessed full control over the bijuu within him. Pure ignorance is what it was, if you asked Gaara.

"Excuse me?" Gaara finally mustered. He was treading on thin water, but he didn't know how much Naruto knew.

"Well yeah, you've liked her for a while now, right?" Naruto questioned with that same knowing light twinkling in his eyes.

"Have I?" Gaara voiced. This was one of the major issues he had experienced with his tumultuous childhood – he didn't realize his feelings when they were slapping him in the face. He hadn't been taught what love, hate, or friendship was. It took the man sitting across from him to show him what many of these emotions are, but that didn't mean that Gaara was well versed in the art of emotions, especially when it came to the opposite sex. Many times, women would flirt with him, and he would be oblivious until someone would point it out to him, usually his brother. So had he had feelings for Sakura longer than he'd realized? To his utter consternation, Naruto began laughing.

"Gaara, have you noticed nothing?" he finally questioned through laughter. "Ever since the war, you've liked Sakura-chan. You were always watching her and you were super protective of her. And when any guy tried to ask her out or flirt with her, you would glare at them until they cowered in fear from you glare. I've even seen your sand get all hyped up when a guy was being especially persistent."

Gaara could only stare at his deceivingly perceptive friend. But that's what Naruto was – a friend, and he didn't seem to be adverse to Gaara pursuing the kunoichi even though Naruto was incredibly protective over her. This was new to Gaara though, and although Naruto wasn't the most experienced man in terms of romance, he had managed to enter into a long-term relationship rather successfully. Plus, he was Gaara's one true friend, and he needed help with this situation. Finally, he asked, "Did I?"

Naruto nodded. "I think you and Sakura-chan would be good for each other."

That simple statement was _very_ shocking, indeed. Naruto had spent a good portion of his life pining for his bubble-gum teammate, and although he now had Hinata, Sakura had always seemed to be off-limits to anyone around him. No one dared approach her for fear of hurting him. Sometimes Gaara thought that that was the reason why Sakura never dated. She had done some things to hurt Naruto in the past, and maybe she didn't want to hurt him further. It was a novel notion, but probably untrue if Gaara knew Sakura as well as he thought he did.

"You do?" Gaara managed to voice. Naruto nodded his head in assent.

"After the teme died," Naruto began to explain. Gaara didn't miss the subtle wince and drop of his voice when he mentioned his fallen teammate, "Sakura was sad for a while, but then one day she said something interesting. She said she thought she had never really been in love with him. She told me that although she had a crush on him when we were younger, she thought it never went past those stupid feelings that girls possess when they're hormonal, stupid girls. She said that she cared about Sasuke as a teammate and a fallen friend, but she didn't think she was ever really in _love _with him. That's when I started thinking about guys who I would trust to take care of Sakura-chan, and who I thought would be really good for her, the only person who I thought of was you. And then I started noticing things – the things I was telling you about earlier. Like I said, I think you've liked Sakura-chan for a long time, you just didn't realize it, and I'm pretty sure she likes you too."

Gaara was silent for a long time. Before he could voice his thoughts, there was a loud banging on the door, announcing his brother's arrival. He didn't need a greeting to enter, and fairly quickly, a drunken Kankuro burst through the door. His steps faltered, a bottle of whiskey in his hands, as he made his way to the couch. Shikamaru was walking lazily behind him. A cigarette hung loosely from his mouth, which he killed underneath his boot before crossing the threshold into the mansion.

"Hey," he greeted easily, making his way to the couch. Kankuro had already fallen into a lazy sitting position next to Gaara, so Shikamaru easily sunk into the single chair in the room. Kankuro had obviously had way too much to drink at the bar, and he seemed fairly close to either passing out or throwing up.

"Guess what!" he exclaimed. His jaw and right eye were still purple from the confrontation earlier, but the alcohol seemed to be drowning out any sort of pain he could be in. "I hurd the evol own alking earlier a-a-a-and she lurves you…."

Gaara just arched an invisible eyebrow at his inebriated kin. Shikamaru drawled out a 'troublesome' and stood up. He linked one of Kankuro's arms around his broad shoulder and hoisted him off the couch. He muttered, as he exited the room, "Time to get you to bed."

Gaara contemplated the meaning of his brother's words as his probably would-be brother-in-law dragged him out of the room. Discerning the meaning of his brother's slurred, drunken speech was not easy, but Gaara was used to having to do such things. If his ears and impeccable ability to understand the language of drunken brothers was correct, he had said 'I heard the evil one talking earlier and she loves you.'

Gaara felt something in his stomach jump, but it was a feeling he had never experienced before. Who else could Kankuro be referring to but Sakura? He felt as if his throat was constricting. Suddenly, his heart was racing so hard, he heard it in his ears while his stomach did backflips. Apparently, Naruto had realized what Kankuro had said as well because his grin couldn't get much larger. That same infuriating, all-knowing light that was prevalent in his eyes was burning brighter than his fierce determination when he was talking about being the future Hokage.

"You hear that?" he asked heatedly, his eyes still twinkling happier than his large grin. "Sakura-chan loves you! Who else could he be talking about?"

"Anyone," Gaara snapped suddenly. This was very new to him, and he didn't know how to deal with the feelings that were consuming him. The overwhelming feeling to retract within himself overcame him. If he put his heart out there, and she rejected him, then he would be crushed. It would just be another person to add to the list who had hurt him. He didn't know if he could take _her_ rejection – not when she was the first person he had ever cared for in more than a platonic fashion.

And stupid Naruto. Stupid, observant Naruto, who understood him better than anyone, just frowned at him. Naruto could relate to what Gaara was feeling. He knew what was going on his friend's head. Rejection was something Naruto had grown up with, and he knew what his good friend was thinking right now. So, smarter-than-ever-given-credit-for Naruto just looked at him thoughtfully for a moment.

"Sakura-chan would never hurt you," was his simple, almost bland statement. It was exactly what Gaara needed to hear, though, at that moment. Sea foam green eyes just stared into cerulean depths, so trusting, so genuine and earnest. And Gaara believed him. "Do you want me to talk to her for you before you talk to her?"

Gaara shook his head. Naruto didn't have to protect his feelings. Although he didn't want to admit it, rejection was a part of life. Gaara knew this better than anyone; the only person who perhaps knew it better was Naruto himself. Gaara had spent so much of his life being rejected by his family and village, that it was something he expected. That didn't, however, mean it didn't hurt. A good portion of his life had been spent protecting himself from those horrible feelings and nightmares. But a part of him knew, deep within him, that he would never fully heal if he didn't put himself on the chopping block. He knew that he may have to get hurt emotionally if he ever wanted to become more normal.

Words finally found him when Shikamaru sauntered languidly back into the room, his nose slightly wrinkled from having to deal with a drunken Kankuro.

"What do I do?" he asked Naruto.

"You two talking about Sakura?" Shikamaru asked. Plopping himself back into the couch and grabbing a beer from the coffee table, he popped the cap and took a long swig. "You finally figure out that you've been in love with her?"

Was he that obvious?

His eyes must have spoken the same question because Shikamaru just nodded at him, giving him a lazy look before closing his eyes and taking another long gulp of beer, managing to drink half the bottle before looking back at Gaara.

"You two have been tip-toeing around this for over a year, and frankly, I'm tired of all the sexual tension," Shikamaru finally said after an unenergetic sigh. He may not be the most confrontational or vulgar of Gaara's friends, but he was always blunt, honest, and to the point. Shikamaru knew exactly how to speak to people in order to get his point across. He'd seen the Konoha-nin be gentle, angry (in his lazy way), and caring when he needed to be. So if Shikamaru was being direct, it was because he needed to be in this particular situation. Gaara was lost for words, so he just stared at his two friends who seemed to know more about him than he did.

"What pineapple head is saying," Naruto interjected, ignoring the annoyed look that Shikamaru sent him, "Is that you and Sakura-chan have liked each other for a while now, and it's getting a little frustrating for the people around you who just want you to be happy. And you could be happy together."

Gaara sighed deeply, leaning back more comfortably into his couch. Running a hand over his face, his fingers traced the kanji on his forehead, down to his blackened eyes that never faded after Shukaku had been taken from him even though he could sleep now, to his pointed nose, ending at his mouth which was shaped into a grim line.

"What do I do?" he finally asked in exasperation. This just seemed to be too much for him. His heart hadn't stopped pounding into his ears since the beginning of the conversation. There was just something amazing yet frightening when you know that the person you like likes you back. And it made Gaara's chest inflate with pride, excitement, and anticipation. All he wanted to do was find Sakura and confess to her, but he knew that would be a bad idea, especially since she was probably drunk if she was hanging out with his sister.

Shikamaru sighed and Naruto's eyes lit up. Immediately, he knew that they had a plan in mind for him. Shikamaru he could trust with this, but Naruto tended to be a little far-fetched when it came to love. His proclamation of love to Hinata, albeit toned-down from his usual antics, was enough to make her pass out and think it was all a dream. It took a long conversation with Sakura, at least Naruto had told him this, to finally convince Hinata that it wasn't a dream, and Naruto did indeed have feelings for the Hyuuga heiress. Apparently she had passed out again.

There was something resigned about the way Shikamaru sighed and slouched once again, telling Gaara he already had a plan in mind. Shikamaru looked at Gaara seriously for a moment, searching his face for something that Gaara couldn't quite discern.

"You really want to woo Sakura?" he asked. Gaara nodded. "Sakura is a romantic, and even though she isn't as troublesome as some women, she would love a grand proclamation even if it isn't your style. I have an idea to make it more private like you'll like it, but it will be sweet and romantic like she wants."

Gaara nodded again, understanding the lazy genius' reasoning.

"Alright," Shikamaru began, "If you want to get Sakura, then this is what you have to do…"

Gaara listened to the plan carefully, his eyes widening in shock, fear, exasperation, and a little bit of excitement.

…well shit.

* * *

AN: Thanks for reading. I'm hoping to have the next chapter posted next week!

Please review for me!


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